One Innocent Question
by SnowyPicture
Summary: Jem relfects on the relationship between Dill and Scout.


**Author's Note:** I wrote this during a little To Kill a Mockingbird phase right after finishing the book. It's a one-shot about Scout and Dill's relationship from Jem's point of view. I wrote it because I thought the whole Dill asking Scout to marry him thing was cute and decided to take it a step further.

**Disclaimer**: If I were Harper Lee would I really be sitting at my computer writing fanfics about my own book? No, I didn't think so.

**One Innocent Question**

It's funny sometimes, how one innocent little question can affect us later in life, or at least seem ironic.

I remember when Scout and I first met Dill. He was a peculiar one, I'll give him that, he was the tiniest kid with the biggest imagination. He was the first one to think of the idea of making Boo Radley come out, and when he did Dill wasn't even there to see him. Scout was the only one who did, but she gave him every detail. Those first summers with Dill were probably the best summers I can remember. I remember the time when Dill and I would go up in my tree house and think up plans to get Boo to come out. That was also when Dill asked Scout to marry him. Funny how things work out. We excluded Scout a lot that summer, complaining to each other how she was too girly and annoying for us, and that she should find some girly friends. Now that I think about it though, Scout was the biggest tomboy I had ever known.

Even the summer Dill wasn't coming to us, he came. Made it all the way from Mississippi to under Scout's bed. That summer I felt I was too old for Scout and Dill's silly games. I told on Dill. When I did they shunned me, and that night when I was sleeping, Dill sneaked out of my room and into Scout's. The sound of him moving woke me up, but I let him go. He needed to talk to someone, and that someone was Scout. I listened to their conversation and felt bad for Dill. I laughed when they started talking about having babies and where you get them from. From then on Dill was always closer to Scout than me; maybe it was the age differences; that I was growing up while he and Scout were still children.

The next one or two summers weren't much different then the ones before, just a little less exciting. I started making more friends my own age and going around with them while Scout and Dill were still rolling around in the tire. The summer after that though, was a bit different. Dill and Scout, around the ages of twelve and thirteen, had begun maturing. Things hadn't changed that much, but they sort of dropped the whole 'engaged' thing and didn't kiss or do any of that kind of stuff anymore. It probably was because they were too old for that childish sort of thing. Or maybe it was just too awkward. That summer Dill was a big taller and Scout's hair was a bit longer. Other than that though, things weren't too different, they went about things as normal.

But the summer after that was an interesting and awkward one. It was the summer of Jean Louise and the first boyfriend. His name was Henry Flannigan. He was the one who sort of convinced Scout that she had outgrown the name Scout. He was always going on with 'Jean Louise this' and 'Jean Louise that'. That boy was down right annoying, the biggest little gentleman I had ever seen (almost like Francis, which was why I was so surprised Scout had chosen him). I didn't like him, as that was also the year my brotherly instincts kicked in, because who knew what that boy did behind closed doors. He and Scout never seemed to do anything though, Henry came over occasionally to study with Scout, and sometimes they went to town for ice cream. Maybe that was just how they acted when I was around though, because Scout knew how I'd get.

Dill came in the second week of that summer. I was surprised to see that he had actually beat Scout in height; he was about an inch and a half taller than her. When he first saw Scout and called out her name, she scowled immediately and promptly told him her name was now Jean Louise. A look of surprise flickered on his face, but disappeared almost as fast as it had come. He looked indifferent when he said smoothly, "Alright, _Jean Louise_." I could tell this bugged Scout to no end. I spent a lot of time with Dill that summer, we played football and I gave him tips on the game. He gave me tips on almost everything else. Dill didn't seem all that much younger than me anymore. Besides, Scout was always off with what's-his-name Flannigan. When ever they came around Dill was always silent and seemed to pretend they weren't there, and Scout seemed so awkward. I laughed in my head at those moments. When Henry wasn't around though, Dill and Scout got along fine. And by the end of that summer, Scout and Henry were no more. Henry had found a new girl and when he told Scout she was crushed. She stayed up in her room for two whole days. Atticus told us to leave her alone, it was her first broken heart but she'd get over it soon enough. When she did come out Dill and I offered kind words, but perhaps Dill's were the kindest. He told her he didn't know how Henry could leave her for some other girl when the prettiest girl in all of Alabama and beyond was Scout (which she said we could still call her sometimes if we felt the need to). Needless to say that after that, Henry was forgotten.

The summer I was twenty, Scout was sixteen, and Dill was seventeen I was coming home from University when I witnessed something. I probably wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't woken up late and arrived home an hour late. I drove up and saw Scout and Dill on the front porch. Kissing. They sprang apart when they heard my car stop in front of the house. Scout smoothed out her dress (she had outgrown her overalls long before this and converted to dresses, but she said this didn't make her anymore softer than before) and Dill started playing with his collar. I said hey as I passed them going into the house and chuckled when I closed the door behind me. Nope, I wasn't surprised; I knew it would happen sooner or later. I was glad too; I didn't have to worry about Scout being with Dill, I knew him and trusted him. I only hoped that he wouldn't break her heart. If he did though, Scout knew how to kick where it hurts.

He didn't break it; he may have dented it a few times with his silly mistakes, but in the end none of that mattered. And now as I watch them standing at the alter after being engaged for almost sixteen years I realize that they aren't now starting their lives together, they started it the moment Dill said, "Hey." in his Aunt Rachel's collard patch. It's funny sometimes, how things work out.


End file.
